Spotted: Rob Ford Graffiti Dare

SPOTTED BY: Reddit user TheAlphaNerdWHERE: Graffiti Alley, near Queen and SpadinaWHEN: Wednesday April 13WHAT: In the wake of Rob Ford’s increasing efforts to squelch graffiti in Toronto, one response from an OCAD student with a sense of humour. (We’ve corresponded with both the creator and the photographer over email, but aren’t publishing any names for the moment.) So far, Graffiti Alley has not been targeted for whitewashing, and we’re hoping this contribution to the growing category of street art inspired by Rob Ford sticks around for a while.UPDATE, April 14, 11:13 AM: The artist has just given us permission to use her name—credit for the above street art goes to Eryn Hill. She told us that: “I used to live on Queen at Bathurst so Graffiti Alley is special to me. I know a few artists that work there and I have always loved walking down the alley finding inspiration for my sculptural work…I never had a big problem with [Rob] Ford prior to this. As soon as he started attacking the only area in the city where graffiti artists are not reprimanded I wanted to do something about it. This stencil is supposed to target both the artists and Rob Ford—as in, if he removes the artists from this area, he should be removed from the city office. Graffiti Alley is a special place where building owners allow artists to paint, and it makes it a nice place for artists, cyclists, and pedestrians to enjoy art in the public space.”